After failing to use the quarters I put in her emergency bag to operate the air pump for her tires at the local convenience store, I taped up some quarters and put them into her glove box for that purpose. Her question: "Can I use these to put in parking meters instead?"

And so I am facing a new challenge in preparedness - getting a smart, pretty, 19 year old college student ready to spend six weeks in Europe doing whatever college students do in Europe. (Editorial note: immediately upon typing that sentence, I grimaced. Straight up.)

She survived a week in Destin on college spring break earlier this month, which, statistically, was probably more dangerous than six weeks in Spain she will be spending. Nonetheless, I can get to Destin fairly quickly in an emergency if I had to. Getting to Madrid and parts beyond when things get hot is not as easy.

I've already reached out to my contact at Ole Miss who heads up emergency management to see who I might talk to about the University's plans for doing hot extracts should things at a study abroad venue become dicey. I'd like to know if a) the University has a plan for this contingency and b) if so, what are the details? I'll be impressed if we get to part (b) of that question. I'll be relieved if the answer to part (b) is robust.

Most parents would likely be concerned about the welfare of their child studying abroad, of course. Most parents, however, would not likely go through the exercise of preparing their kid for the possibility of a worse case scenario that would require them to leave the country for another European country or to return back to the U.S. due to an emergency.

The prepper mind tends to think about terrorism these days when it comes to possible threats one might face in Europe. To wit:

I hasten to add: I'm not a helicopter parent, ever dissuading her from doing this activity or going to that place. Part of growing up is learning how to respond appropriately if you find yourself in harm's way, learning to take and appropriately manage the risk of any activity or opportunity. We do our kids no favors when we tell them "don't go to X place because terrorists might kill you."

Instead, I'm a big believer in telling them "there's evil and danger everywhere. Be on the lookout, steer clear of high risk situations, have a plan and resources to deal with problems, and help your friends do the same." My job is to help her understand the risks and prepare her for them.

So What Are The Risks?

Let's go back to the frequency/severity model I've talked about from time to time. The higher frequency threats she faces include:

Illness or injury. She was with me on our family trip to Italy when I began suffering mightily from a kidney stone episode. The good news is that she saw how I was able to manage that for several days and make it back home to see my urologist. This is one of the more likely risks.

Victim of theft. Pick pockets, purse/backpack snatching, dorm thievery - these range from inconvenient to trip ruining. This one can be managed relatively well with proper planning.

Violation of law. Putting aside the Amanda Knox scenario for a moment, we often forget we are the away team when visiting abroad, and that the house rules may be significantly different there than they are in the U.S.

The more unlikely but more dramatic risks include:

Terrorism. Bear in mind these college kids aren't going to sit in the library studying all day. I suspect she'll be traveling outside of Spain into other countries like France and Britain which are experiencing more terrorism than Madrid.

Economic turmoil. We are talking about Spain, after all. Your kid is supposed to fly home on a certain date, ticket in hand, but the airlines aren't flying into that city due to striking airport workers or a failed banking system not allowing for airlines to buy fuel on credit. The crisis doesn't care that your kid is stuck there.

Something that just goes horribly wrong. A Russian move against NATO, a major natural disaster,a school shooting at the university she'll be attending - bad stuff, horrible situations, but again, these are things you can make contingency plans for if you're thinking ahead.

So what are those contingency plans/skills?

To the extent the University has a workable plan, stick to that. Hopefully, Ole Miss has put some thought into this and has invested time and effort into creating an accountability system to determine students' whereabouts and status in an emergency, along with a way to keep them safe until things calm down.

Know where the U.S. Embassies are and how to get in touch with them. That's your oasis. Get to the embassy if things get bad and ask for help.

Remember our family has a secret Facebook page for communicating with each other. We (my wife, my Ole Miss Rebel, and I) have a FB page set up so that only the three of us can see it or post on it. It allows us to communicate should text or emails not work. She could get to a internet cafe anywhere in Europe, log in, and the three of us could message each other as we help her work through a situation.

Know how to avoid and escape a large demonstration in a public area. Avoiding is easy. Don't go near it. But if you find yourself sucked into it, go with the flow, act like you're part of the protest, and then at the first opportunity move perpendicular to the direction of the protest. Have a designated meeting place if you're with friends in case you get split up. Be ready for the possibility of dealing with dangerous conditions.

Know how to drive a stick shift. She's going to have to learn on my Jeep before she leaves. While we don't expect her to have a car while she's there, renting one in an emergency may be necessary to extract herself. Most rentals in Europe are stick shifts.

Take a map when you leave town. A real, paper map. The smartphone navigational systems are great until they aren't.

Plan your attire and everyday carry items with pickpockets in mind. This one is pretty easy. Keep it all on you so that if you lose your backpack or purse, you're not out anything essential.

Know when to call for extraction. If things get bad and you need to get out, don't delay. Get ahead of the others who will be doing the same. Call us, message us, ask us to buy you a ticket or use your own credit card to so - get out of town via airlines, train, whatever. Get to safety, and then we can reassess once you're out of harm's way.

Carry a small emergency kit with you, especially if you leave campus. Basic meds, some cash, a flashlight, some high energy snacks. Be ready to fend for yourself for a period of time if things become fluid.

I realize many will read this and think I am being overly cautious. Perhaps I am. But living a prepared lifestyle means you identify and manage the risks you will face, knowing the limitations of the environment you are in. Her environment for six weeks will be 5,090 miles from home, according to Google, in a land where she does not speak the local language. Such trips require additional efforts to be prepared. I look forward to helping her get there.